The Journey's of Shroker is a blog about all sorts of topics. Ranging from mundane everyday things to technology, gizmo's to sports, recreational events. Included my recent treks into paintballing again.
As this blog is taking a new turn I will be updating various topics. Same content with a different overlay plus some new ones.

Tuesday, December 27, 2011

I hope everyone had a good Christmas holiday and got some gifts and gave gifts to friends and family.
For those that don't celebrate Christmas, I hope you enjoyed your holiday and got to take some time off your everyday things. I was out of town this weekend and just came back today around 1700 PST.Received a lovely gift from my which I will talk about later.

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Last post I talked about Forza Motorsports 4's recent image-based lighting update, game mechanics, Turn 10's partnership with BBC's Top Gear UK and Pirelli reform of Forza 3's tire data. Turn 10 didn't just stop at reworking the game physics and car models. They have gone and revamped the sound engine to the game. Forza Motorsports 4 has brand new engine sounds recorded directly from the vehicul they represent from the real world. One of many things I initially noticed when I began playing this game was the attention to details in the sound effects.

The above sound clip is recorded from the in-game sounds and is all part of the gameplay. Setting the game fx to "Car" emphasizes the engine and exhaust sounds. The player can hear the different accents and tones of the engine. Hearing the resonance and echo as the player accelerates and then letting go of the throttle. You feel lively and in the spot light as you aim to clip the apex in the corners. Each car has had this sound treatment and thus very enjoyable to drive. A variety of flavours to suit the different type of personal preferences people will have. On the other hand, in the audio settings there is the option to select tires as the sound effects focus. This shifts tire screeches and grip sounds as the main focus for those that wan to hear how their tires on on the road to get a sense of lock-up. Although I feel once you play enough with the car you sort of know where that grip limit / lock limit is. However, in the end, it is mostly personal preference and does not effect the gameplayy in any form.

Forza Motorsports 4 introduced a new multilayer community function called Rivals mode. The underlying basics of Rivals mode is your traditional leaderboard time attack. However, instead of simply trying to fight your way up the time board to wherever you seem fit. You continue to earn exp and credits from performing racing feats (like perfect turns or how well you do a turn) or by completing the race after least completing a lap. Being able to gain experience and credits makes grinding a lap time a bit more rewarding. There are monthly challenges for the rivals mode and also static ones.

In addition to your typical online racing modes there are fun modes which include car bowling, tag and soccer. Each to their own exciting moments but care-free chaotic insanity will ensue. Especially with fast cars zipping around trying to score a soccer ball or attempting to tag the remaining "non-it" drivers.
All in all, Forza 4 Motorsports enhances and updates from its previous series while maintaining a fun playing field for all types of player levels.

Sunday, November 6, 2011

Forza Motorsports 4 by Turn 10 released on October 11th 2011. Now, I have been waiting for this game for quite some time. As the time went on and various trailers and videos were released the passion and drive for racing, automotive sports and driving kicked into full gear. I should say I started my first impressions with the couple of gameplay trailers and TV commercials.

First impressions began with their updated imaging-based lighting system. Forza 4 improves on what Forza 3 built and ironed out the details. Graphically the game feels very familiar as the base of the engine still remains the same I believe. The added lighting system, improved textures and rendering presents the overall package as a new, refreshing but very familiar game. Taking a sharp corner going full throttle and then being blind sided by the sun glare is something players will often come across until they feel the groove and know where the corner is.

A new feature to the Forza Motorsports line is the Autovista gallery. The Autovista gallery features 24 cars from the game in high graphical detail. Ranging from specific car components such as wheels, engine, aerodynamic flaps and cockpit design. In addition to the regular voicing for Autovsita, Turn 10 signed a long-term contract with BBC TV showhosts Top Gear featuring Jeremy Clarkson. Each Autovista vehicle has a description written and voiced by Jeremy Clarkson in their very own show-host style and personality. For those that have watched Top Gear UK or is a fan of Jeremy Clarkson will enjoy this addition of humor but may seem distant for those that have never heard of either. With that said, Autovista can be used with the Xbox Kinect feature allowing users to move around the car and open up the door, trunk and engine hood with their hand motions.

Kinect allows headtracking in Forza 4, allowing users to look left and right into their corners or checking their sides when pulling through a corner. Although I have not fluently tested out the usage of the Kinect with the game I look forward to using it in the near future.

Turn 10 partnered up with Pirelli to rework Forza 4's tire data by introducing a consistent and dedicated set of tests for the game. Instead of using a combination of different tire information and results; Pirelli has provided all the tire information allowing Turn 10 to directly put the data into the game engine. The result is cars now feel responsive and provide better detail and feedback. In addition to the tire data is update suspension mechanics which takes in account for AWD, FWD, RWD, and different car suspensions between American muscle cars and a Japanese AWD car. The combination allows the player to feel the grip from cold tires to prime temperatures as one races through hairpins and fast corners.

The second part will consist of the rivals system and new multilayer features.Stay tuned.

Monday, October 10, 2011

Two weeks ago I was browsing Forza Motorsport 4 videos with a friend of mine. This motion rallied up our energy for the inevitable release of the game under half a month from that point. Tomorrow the game releases in North America and from August to the last week of September I have been pondering if I wanted to pre-order the Limited Collectors Edition or not. During the period I checked, I wanted to order from Gamestop but I was not able to find it on their website. I can only find the regular edition. Amazon sold out of there Limited Collectors Edition and had only a few left but were marked up to $199 CAD instead of $79.99.

During the last week of September, I went to check the store listings for Forza 4 LCE and discovered that Gamestop and Bestbuy had them listed. I got excited because I can order from Gamestop although a little bit disappointed I had to shell out $80 bucks for it but it will be well worth it. Then I had a epiphany about my $50 BestBuy giftcard from BestBuy. This made me super excited because it meant that I could fully buy the collectors set without any worries.

I kept double checking the product page to make sure I was adding the right item to the checkout cart. Selected express shipping, entered the gift card price and got the price down to sub 40 something after tax and everything. I got excited and was like "Sweet!;. Then it said my shipping was free and I think for some reason it was set to ground shipping again. This disappointed me as I want Forza 4 as soon as possible. Doesn't matter now though. The game goes live today in North America and will be expecting to see more reveiws in addition to IGN, Gamespot and a few other individuals / groups.

There are some major updates to the game which I will talk about in a different post but as many have stated. Those coming in from Forza 3 will have a familiar yet rejuvenated feeling to the game. Those that are new to the series will have plenty of fun as the difficulty ranges from the essentials of a beginner to hardcore drivers.

Thursday, October 6, 2011

I had a friend from highschool that I have been wanting to do a photoshoot since my Grade 12 year and a many times after I had graduated. The problem was that we are busy people and often canceled on each other. Thus we never got around to doing our photoshoot. After she graduated and sometime after she flew to France and has been there for a while.

A couple days before her trip back to France she contacted me that she wanted to do a photoshoot. She presented me with a mother/daughter idea due to the fact she was leaving for France soon. We drafted up the idea and set the day. The main ideas we were going to think of on the fly but the important part was shooting some photos of them together. Then she and I decided that after their photoshoot together we would do an individual photoshoot of my friend and would fly it on the go.

We got together and I settled down to start thinking of ideas with my friend. Did a quick location scout of her apartment room and starting putting things together. The great part about working with good friends is that it is easy to have fun and laugh. A couple jokes here and there and the atmosphere was set.
The idea we had in mind for the daughter/mother shoot is to have them together, sharing and enjoying their moments together. The style we were shooting would be candid and semi-posed. The way semi-posed works is by having the subjects in a pose but having them interact with each other. Any other interactions or effects branches off that pose and you get a natural dynamic out of it.

The shooting floor to work with was fantastic. On my way there I was worried about there not being enough lighting, how I would have to work out my flash settings and the likes but she texted me stating her place had large windows and hardwood floors. I love having an open window especially when the light is coming through. Good hardwood floors have lovely textures on them and the flooring she had at her place were quite nice. They were not the standard plankwood style floor but wood pieces with some nice marble patterns to them which looked beautiful in color and black and white photos. The sun came in through the window nicely with the clouds overcasting acting as a giant diffuser for the sun. As the day proceeded the sun lowered and interesting shades would form which set up for some good poses.

The shoot finished up around 1630 (4:30PM) and we glanced over the photos and needless to say everyone was very happy with what pictures were taken. I was quite happy and the shoot was a great confidence boost.

Anyways, here is a high-res photo post of one of the pictures that is taken. I will be posting more later but this one came out the best out of the lot. The rest are still being selected and will be put up relatively soon.
It was an absolute blast to see my friend again and finally get our photoshoot done. I hope to see her again in the future and have fun, laughing moments again. : )

Sunday, October 2, 2011

Today's idea will feature a mother/daughter style shoot and then will be individuals of the daughter.
Can't wait to do this photoshoot as I have been planning to do some sort of photo idea with her for quite some time.

Will post some samples and a link off-site to where I will be posting some pictures.

Monday, August 8, 2011

Post made simple and short.
I did a lot of running, Almost brutally hurt myself a couple times.

There was lots of loose dirt and I'm a guy who carries momentum when he is running. The moment the dirt gave way I slid and went barreling into the ground. However, I soldiered on and kept playing with my pump.

It was a great day and my friend Kelly and Melvin were able to make it to the field to enjoy a nice, breezy but sunny day of paintballing.

Saturday, June 18, 2011

I don't know how I do it.
Where do I grab this energy from?.
Something drives me, deep down it propels me forward.
I have been knocked to the ground over and over through time and space.
But I find a way to make my way out of it and find some form of energy and inspiration.

Struggling to make a bounce back after falling to my knees a year ago (Figuratively) has been tough.
I am hoping to make my way through my problems step by step; things have been fairly well for me as of late.
I have my friends to thank and the special people I have met over the years to talk to, hang out with and make my way through things. Some of them struggle with everyday life and struggle a very hard battle to stay on their own feet.

My wishes are there for them, every single day. I hope everyone is able to keep on their toes to keep going forward.

Summer is here and I cannot wait to get back into shooting seagulls, sunsets, and many other summer related things.
I recently dug into my inventory of items and settled back into a groove that has been working really well for me.

I will be updating my listening experience together on my blog and here when I finish up that post but it has been a great way to relax.
I have always loved my music and my camera. Splurging my wallet apart for products that will not come apart and pay off has been a beauty.
There has been a reserve that has been brought out from these.
I sat down sometime ago and fingered through my things and discovered that there was something about doing work with music from my speakers just didn't cut it.

Anyways, that is a whole other post but for now I shall resolve to my quiet peace and stare about into the night with my photos.
Here is a little photo of portable headphone amp, iPod and headphones.

Into the summer night, I drift away.
The sea of thoughts that overcome the sleep deprivation.
As the choir sings and the orchestra resonates in my ears;
I dream of a cottage by a beach.
The tides washing across the beach logs.
Crabs climbing out of there coves to explore the beachfront.

Wishy washy. The waves say.
A gleam of a smile spreads across my face.
A warm, comfortable evening this is.
The sun setting away, saying goodbye to the people below.

Good night and good bye.
I shall awake and see you all in the morning.
For now, sleep well and dream.
Dream of a world with infinite possibilities.

Sunday, June 5, 2011

I have a bunch of drafts that I need to finish for this blog but I am hoping to get them done.
What to expect? My review and thoughts on the Electric Avenues PA2V2 (Portal Amp V2).
My listening experiences with my Bower and Wilkins P5 Headphones.

Life in general and some paintball related posts. I have been doing well past couple weeks although it has been an on and off battle. Getting my mood together and sleep has really helped.

Canucks are 2-0 in the series against Boston, just 2 more games to go. Stanley Cup, here we come.

"When you fall down, pick yourself up and march forward. Look at what made you fall and work around it".

Sunday, May 22, 2011

Things have been shaping better this past week.
Despite certain events and I guess, sometimes wishing for more when in reality it probably doesn't seem practical ha.

It has been a good pattern so I am pushing it further and trying to get the best out of it.
I have a long way to go but I am hoping to grab life by the reigns again and take it forward.

Adventitious as it may be, sometimes I still have to look around and make sure I am going in the right direction.
Looking back has only distracted me from my goal and has made a sorrow mess out of me.

On other notes, I have yet to write my Electric Avenues PA2V2 portal headphone amplifier.
I have many interesting and wonderful points to discuss about it and look forward to reading the post.
I will have some photos to put up with it. That reminds me that I have to continue on my headphone post about the Bower and Wilkins P5 headphones. Got a couple neat things to write about and so that should be fun.

I might go and do that weekly quote thing I used to do ages ago and so that should be fun.
Thanks for following and stick around everyone.

Thursday, March 10, 2011

My friend's mom is out of town for the week and we've been allowed to use his house for small house parties (of the non crazy type), LAN parties etc.Took some time to get everything set up but on Thursday (March 10th) I lugged my computer down to his place and we've got my rig setup.

EDIT:
I've been here about a week now and our big LAN party is tomorrow.
Will have another post up soon.

Tuesday, March 1, 2011

I've got a couple posts and drafts that I want to put up but haven't completed them.
I have a bunch of paintball posts that are sitting, waiting for me to finish and just some day to day things.

Hoping to sit down and get them done so they do not pile up and make my way to increasing traffic to the blog.
I hope everyone is staying warm and those in Canada and/or Vancouver didn't get too troubled by the snow.

Thursday, February 17, 2011

The server will be down for the week and has been for the past month.
Sorry for those that tried connecting and could not connect as I have been re-working the system and moving it to a different computer but that computer coughed up on me. Which for a case with brand new parts shouldn't happen but it did.

Anyways, I am working on it today and hoping it will be back up today.

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Sitrep

About Me

I am currently a student studying Computer Science and Engineering at Simon Fraser Univiersity in lovely, British Columbia. I live in Vancouver, BC and enjoy my time studying, computers, electronics, paintball and many other hobbies and activities!